Spirited Away

SPIRITED AWAY
OPTIMUM RELEASING
RELEASED 12 September 2003

‘Spirited Away’ is the tale of Chihiro, a young girl who is taken down an unusual road by her parents while moving to a new home in an unfamiliar town. The curiosity of Chihiro’s mother and father leads the reluctant child into what appears to be an abandoned amusement park. Soon her parents are greedily feasting on various delights from an enticing food stand and are literally turned into pigs. The frightened and bewildered girl then encounters a young man named Haku, who explains what she must do to navigate this strange and magical realm. Finding employment in a bathhouse for spirits and other odd characters – including kimono-wearing frogs, lumbering tentacled monsters, and a mysterious apparition named No Face – Chihiro attempts to figure out how she can free her parents from the clutches of the resort’s owner, a powerful witch named Yubaba. In the process, she makes some very eccentric friends – and has to deal with some notoriously stinky customers.

Succeeding director Miyazaki’s previous film ‘Princess Mononoke’ as the most successful film in Japanese cinema history, this charming movie follows its own bizarre yet engaging logic as it reveals a cast of fascinating characters and jaw-dropping settings through stunningly beautiful hand-crafted animation. It’s a surreal adventure reminiscent of Lewis Carroll’s ‘Alice in Wonderland’. ‘Spirited Away’ creates a vibrant, colorful world where old myths and tales are spun afresh. The animation is incredibly imaginative, and, at times, almost too breath-taking. There’s loads of humour sprinkled throughout, as well as some seriously scary moments. The soundtrack is a beautifully flowing score incorporating traditional Japanese instrumentation. Weird, wonderful, and definitely NOT just for kids.

FOUR OUT OF FIVE